A HOSPITAL superbug is costing the NHS more than £11m a year to treat, the Western Mail has learned.

The huge bill for cases of Clostridium difficile comes as there was a 13% increase in the number of patients over 65 who became ill with the infection last year.

Each case costs the NHS about £4,000 to treat. This is less than the cost of treating MRSA, but the sheer number of C.difficile cases causes a considerable drain on NHS resources.

The £11.7m bill for treating C.difficile last year in Wales is the equivalent of employing more than 500 more nurses and almost three times the amount the Noah’s Ark Appeal is trying to raise to equip the second phase of the Children’s Hospital for Wales.

Figures from the National Public Health Service for Wales reveal there were 2,926 cases of C.difficile in patients over 65 last year, up from 2,584 in 2006.

By comparison there were 352 cases of MRSA between October 2006 and September 2007. Last year the cost of treating this antibiotic-resistant superbug stood at £1.9m.

The rise in C.difficile cases in Wales last year comes despite a raft of initiatives to reduce the number of healthcare-associated infections. It is thought the rise was caused by several C.difficile outbreaks in hospitals at the start of 2007.

Dr Eleri Davies, director of the Welsh healthcare associated infections programme at the National Public Health Service for Wales, said: “Increases in infection rates can be associated with a variety of factors including the pattern of antimicrobial usage, bed occupancy rates, cleaning schedules, hand hygiene compliance and laboratory testing protocols.

“Each trust will have a clearer idea of what has happened within their own hospitals, and we are also aware that several trusts did experience C.difficile outbreaks during the first half of 2007 and this will have contributed to the higher number of cases reported.

“It is difficult to provide one reason for the increase in the figures across Wales but trusts should be considering all the factors above when assessing these figures. Every trust is concerned about the increases seen and is taking action to reduce infection rates locally.”

C.difficile is a gut infection, which causes severe diarrhoea and is hard to eliminate by cleaning.

Experts believe advances in modern medicine, including the increased use of antibiotics, has created an environment in which the bacteria can thrive. Elderly and very sick patients, and those who have long stays in hospital, are most at risk of developing a potentially-lethal C.difficile infection.

Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust had 604 cases of C.difficile in patients over 65 last year – up from 488 in 2006 – the highest number of cases for an individual trust in Wales.

A statement from the trust said: “This increase on 2006 cases is mainly accounted for by a significant increase in cases that we experienced in the early part of 2007. This increase occurred while we were also managing large norovirus outbreaks in the trust, both causes of diarrhoea were addressed through our outbreak management procedures. Since then the numbers have reduced towards our expected levels based on previous years.

“We do however also acknowledge that we have one of the highest rates of C. difficile infection in Wales and that further reductions in cases must be achieved.”

A statement from Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust, which recorded “average” levels of C.difficile last year, said: “A seasonal pattern is apparent – the infection is commonest in winter and spring and the rate reduces with the approach of summer. This is likely to be related to the use of antibiotics for seasonal diseases.”

The rise in C.difficile cases in Wales comes as a report will warn later this week that the number of deaths linked to the bug have quadrupled in the last five years in England and Wales. It is expected that figures from the Office for National Statistics will show that more than 6,000 people died in 2006 after contracting the infection. It is estimated that there are about 78 deaths a year in Wales caused by C.difficile – 63 a year are due to MRSA.

But a guide to NHS staff in Wales to help them reduce healthcare associated infections, as part of the 1,000 Lives campaign, suggests that more than 300 people could be dying every year as a result of contracting a hospital superbug.

Wales only has a surveillance programme for C.difficile in the over-65s. Cases are counted per every 1,000 inpatient admissions among this age group. The Welsh figures are not comparable to those collected in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland.